QR and Fare Collection - Online or Offline?
A giant leap for Japan, but a step backwards for the AFCS industry? (1)
That was the question that popped into my head when I read the news that JR East is planning to replace magnetic stripe tickets with QR codes in 2027. If the images associated with this announcement are to be believed, then Japanese railway passengers can look forward to printed QR paper tickets, no less!
I have no doubt that as long as Japan remains a low-crime, high-trust society, this will work as well as you would expect from Japan and especially from its railway operators.